Reballed memory set to double in smartphones by 2027, TrendForce says

By Tom Whitfield

TrendForce, a global market intelligence and research firm, estimates that reballed memory penetration in smartphones will rise from about 3–4% to 7–9% in 2027, roughly doubling adoption from its current base.

What is reballed memory?

Reballed memory consists of chips salvaged from older or discarded devices. During rework, heat melts the solder balls on a used memory package until the chip can be removed from its original device. The chip is then re-soldered onto a new board.

The sequence keeps the memory component in use instead of sending it out with the discarded device. It also gives a handset maker a lower-cost sourcing option than buying an entirely new memory chip. The immediate benefit comes from reuse, rather than a different process technology or a claim of added capacity.

Today, reballed 4GB LPDDR4X modules make up the majority of components in this recycled-memory market. Those modules go into 4G smartphones priced below CNY 1,299, or approximately $200, and the technique currently concentrates on entry-level and budget models.

In plain terms, reballing converts a discarded device's memory package into a component for a new product.

Why do budget phones lead the shift?

Buyers of budget phones are particularly sensitive to price increases. That sensitivity leaves manufacturers with limited room to raise retail prices without hurting demand, which makes control of the bill of materials commercially important.

Reballed memory can absorb part of that pressure because it offers a cheaper route to sourcing a memory component. A manufacturer can use the technique to offset rising component costs while preserving the price points targeted by entry-level devices.

The technique still requires technical skill and specialized equipment. Modern smartphone memory uses BGA, or Ball Grid Array, packages with tiny solder connections, which makes removing and reattaching the chips difficult. TrendForce provides an adoption estimate and a DRAM price outlook, but no unit-cost saving, factory capacity or shipment forecast for reballed memory.

The economics favor budget phones because their makers have the least room to pass higher memory prices to buyers.

What could change in 2027?

TrendForce expects “DRAM prices to rise even further in the first quarter of 2027.” This is an analyst forecast, not a confirmed pricing schedule, but it identifies the pressure likely to shape manufacturers' component choices.

Against that backdrop, use of recycled memory and other lower-specification components could gradually expand beyond the entry-level segment and into more premium smartphones. What began as a cost-saving measure for budget devices could become a broader expense-management strategy during a prolonged period of high memory prices.

Higher DRAM prices could widen reballing's role in premium phones, although cost control remains the reason to adopt it.

What has hobbyist reballing already achieved?

An electronics hobbyist has carried reballing beyond smartphones. The hobbyist converted a roughly $120 DDR5 SO-DIMM kit into a desktop memory kit with a stated value of around $1,000.

The starting hardware was an SK hynix 2x 16GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM kit purchased from Facebook Marketplace. The hobbyist salvaged its chips and reballed them onto custom desktop DIMM PCBs. The resulting modules reportedly can reach DDR5-7800 speeds.

Converting laptop memory into desktop DIMMs required considerable expertise and specialized equipment. It carries the same basic constraint as smartphone reballing: the rework must handle small solder connections, while the memory moves onto a board designed for a different format.

Smartphone manufacturers, repair specialists and hardware enthusiasts are exploring similar reuse options to cope with rising costs and limited availability. The hobbyist build shows that reballing can cross device formats, but the process remains specialist work.

The commercial test for 2027 is whether first-quarter DRAM price gains bring reballed and lower-specification parts into more premium phones while manufacturers try to protect demand in price-sensitive segments.